Chess enthusiasts to have three tournaments in one

Wednesday

May 8, 2013 at 12:01 AM

TUSCALOOSA | This weekend’s Chess Extravaganza in T-Town is really three tournaments wrapped into one event.

By Ken RobertsCity Editor

TUSCALOOSA | This weekend’s Chess Extravaganza in T-Town is really three tournaments wrapped into one event.- The Black Warrior Chess Challenge will begin at 6 p.m. Friday. Chess players from Alabama and surrounding states will compete for $2,500 in prize money. The challenge will continue on Saturday and conclude on Sunday.- The Tuscaloosa Scholastic Chess Championship will be from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. At least seven teams from Birmingham will compete for trophies against Tuscaloosa players from Freedom Chess Academy, the Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools, ChessKidsNation, Country Knights and other schools.- The Alabama Quick Chess Champions will be from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. The Alabama Chess Federation-sanctioned state championship requires players to finish games in less than one hour with a grand prize of $1,000.Organizers expect nearly 150 players to compete.All the tournaments will be held at the Ferguson Center Student Union on the University of Alabama campus and are open to the public.“The Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission backed the tournament with a financial contribution that allowed us to offer a significantly larger prize fund than Alabama has seen in prior years. But what makes this tournament really special is that we are able to bring together chess players of all ages and skill levels,” said Neil Dietsch, president of the Freedom Chess Academy, a nonprofit group that promotes chess training and play in West Alabama.“We hosted the state chess championship here in 2010, but the 2011 tornado curtailed our plans for another big event until this year. Now we’re excited to be back and to bring chess players and their families to show off our city and the UA campus.” The Chess Extravaganza in T-Town is made possible through a partnership of the Freedom Chess Academy, UA’s Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility’s Every Move Counts chess in education initiative and the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission.“Any time you can partner with quality organizations that promote high-level events such as the Chess Extravaganza and bring exposure to our community and campus, TTSC takes an active interest,” said Don Staley, executive director of sports for the tourism and sports commission. “We are of the opinion that if successful, this event could lead to future Grand Prix chess tournaments down the road that will bring significantly greater numbers of out-of-town visitors to our community.”